What does it really mean to be strong? Not physically, but in the moments when your mind is breaking while your smile stays fixed.

“An honest, raw conversation about mental health, grit, belonging, and what toughness really means.”

Haydn Elliott built one of F45's most successful studios globally. What nobody saw was the breakdown that came first.

Anand sits down with the Haydn, one of the most authentic voices in the UK fitness industry, to talk about what it really costs to go all-in on creating one of London’s most successful fitness communities. Haydn opens up about his battle with depression in his early twenties, the moment he couldn't speak in front of his parents, and the three words his father said that changed everything.

This conversation goes deep on the difference between emotional suppression and emotional regulation, the generational silence around men's mental health, what the loneliness epidemic has to do with fitness culture, and why the most composed person in the room is often the one who needs help the most.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to tell the difference between burnout and depression - before it's too late
• Why the strongest-looking people are often suffering the most
• How to lead with vulnerability and authority at the same time
• The "third place": what our grandparents had that we’ve lost, and why rebuilding it could save the current generation
• What toughness actually looks like in 2026
• How to give yourself permission to feel, even when the world expects you to hold it together

If you've ever felt like you were falling apart while showing up perfectly on the outside, this episode will make you relate, understand, and know how to take the next step.

I hope this conversation offers you something different, Anand

Topics: mental health | depression | burnout vs. resilience | the culture of leadership | masculinity & vulnerability | building community through fitness | third place

In this deeply personal and revealing conversation, Anand speaks with Arjun Sofat, Co‑Founder & CEO of Free Soul, about the deeper influences that shaped his entrepeneurship journey to building a global women's wellness brand.

We explore the lessons inherited from his parents and grandparents, leaving the safety of investment banking after years of 100‑hour weeks, how early influences forged his obsession with positive impact, and why the ultimate blessing is finding work you are willing to dedicated your life to.

Arjun shares the mindset and reframes that helped him push through the early days of no revenue, rejection, and being literally laughed out of an investor meeting.

The episode also dives into:

• How to deal with the lonely chapter of entrepreneurship.
• Why discipline is less about motivation and more about endurance
• How FreeSoul’s Designed By Her philosophy puts women at the centre of product creation
• The emotional impact of hearing customers’ stories - from PMDD improvements to fertility breakthroughs
• The influence of Ayurvedic “grandma’s remedies” and how traditional wisdom meets modern wellness
• What Arjun ultimately wants his children to remember about him, and why it has nothing to do with FreeSoul

This is a story about identity, culture, sacrifice, purpose, and the unseen roots that shape who we become. Whether you're building something of your own, navigating an identity shift, or reflecting on the values passed down through generations, this episode will leave you thinking long after it ends.

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Find us on socials: www.instagram.com/ananddattanipodcast

What if the hardest parts of your childhood could become the reason you succeed? In this episode, Josh White, co-founder of Cano Water, sits down with me for his most open conversation yet - sharing the untold stories of growing up with ADHD, addiction, and inherited trauma, and how those roots shaped the early part of his identity and rebellion.

This episode dives into what most people never hear about Josh. The influences - not just from his own childhood, but from the roots that he's come from. It will change how you think about roots, identity, resilience and reinvention.

You’ll learn: ✔ How family patterns influence success (even when you try to escape them) ✔ The genetic roots of ADHD and its impact on resilience ✔ The rebellious backstory behind Cano Water ✔ Why “we all have the same 24 hours” is a myth ✔ Why tight-knit cultures make standing out so difficult ✔ The hidden link between ADHD, identity & creativity ✔ How trauma, when understood, can become a source of meaning

By the end, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of how identity is formed, how to break unhealthy patterns, and how your past can become the foundation of your purpose.

👉 Follow for more conversations on success, identity & purpose.

If you’ve ever felt shaped by your past, limited by your upbringing, or unsure how to break old patterns, this conversation will hit.

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Get 10% of any Healf products: https://healf.com/anandsworld

👉 Follow for more conversations on the influence of our roots on success, identity & purpose.

📌 Find us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/ananddattanipodcast

Trina Smith, CEO of Electric Pineapple media, grew up between two cultures, never “looking” the part, and without anyone who looked like her to follow. Her journey through identity and music reveals what it means to find belonging on your own terms.

But through music, she carved a space that challenges bias, reclaims heritage, and asks whether culture is being diluted for clicks.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The struggle of identity invalidation (“you don’t look like a Smith…”)

• The beauty (and challenge) of being from an in-between culture

• Getting into music without role models who looked like her

• Bias, entitlement, and the hard truths of the music industry

• Has music lost its soul to TikTok virality?

• Why culture is being diluted in mainstream music and how to protect it

• Honorary mentions of Ed Sheeran, Arijit Singh, Sapphire, and Will Smith

👉 Full of raw honesty, cultural truths, and lessons on identity, this episode will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt “in-between.”

Growing up in a South Asian household meant reused yoghurt tubs, saving every bag, and never wasted food - but none of it was called sustainability. In the next instalment of the South Asian Heritage Month special, we explore how immigrant households accidentally became pioneers in climate-conscious living, and what we can learn from them today.

From finding an unexpected love for sustainability and nature, to pursuing a career that was never considered acceptable for South Asians, Ketan shares how racism in his upbringing and breaking cultural barriers shaped his journey and what the next generation can learn from it.

Expect to learn: – What Western sustainability can learn from our grandparents – What’s holding back young South Asians from choosing non-traditional careers – How Ketan teaches sustainability to his own children – What the environmental sector needs to do to stay relevant for the next generation

If you like real stories, bold perspectives, and a fresh take on what sustainability actually looks like beyond just a buzzword - this one's for you.

📺 As part of our special series with South Asian Heritage Month, every episode is also available as a full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/M8eInb_iQmc

Don't miss the first episode of this series with Asifa Lahore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkJxKLFtpc

🙏 LEAVE A REVIEW

If you listen on Apple Podcasts, it'd be great if you could leave a review - the bigger the show gets, the bigger the guests get!

Have you ever felt like you never quite fit in with your faith, family or community? Can you still be accepted by your culture even if they say you can't?

Asifa Lahore is Britain Asian, and the UK's first out Muslim drag queen, but behind the headlines is a story of identity, rejection, courage, and deep cultural pride.

🎥 Prefer to watch? Catch the full video episode on YouTube from 4pm UK time on the day of release: https://youtu.be/dTkJxKLFtpc

Expect to hear:

• Lessons on embracing identity even when your community rejects i

• Why “being your authentic self” is harder than it sounds

• The cultural pressures of being the ‘good brown kid’

• What being a role model feels like when no ones walked your path

• Wearing a burka on stage at London Pride

• The price of not being true to yourself

A powerful conversation about culture, courage and redefining legacy.

Follow on socials: @ananddattanipodcast

This episode is part of a special 4-part series for South Asian Heritage Month — where we unpack culture, identity, and legacy in a modern world. Find out more: southasianheritage.org.uk

• Why Malaysia is a cultural melting pot
• Why growing up Asian means you never leave home without snacks
• The shock of arriving in Britain and discovering an unexpected culture trait
• How ChatGPT is slowly killing the one human skill we should protect at all costs
• Why prosperity doesn't always lead to happiness, and what to do about it
• How to stop culture, society or your family from deciding what success should mean to you

📱Find us on socials

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ananddattanipodcast

TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@ananddattanipodcast

I’m honoured to share the incredible journey of Ramnik Karia. Born in East Africa, Ramnik’s life has taken him across borders, cultures, and challenges - from hitchhiking his way to the UK to taking risks that would be extraordinary even today.

We explore powerful lessons about resilience, hospitality, courage, and the benefits for going after what you truly want to do. Along the way, you’ll hear unforgettable stories - from bringing whisky and spices from England to India, to the world’s shortest war in Zanzibar, to how Jimmy Hendrix left an unexpected mark on his life.

This is a conversation filled with wisdom, humour, and advice that future generations can truly benefit from.

💬 If this episode resonates, please rate, share, or leave a comment; and help us preserve these incredible stories for generations to come.

Follow on Socials: www.instagram.com/ananddattanipodcast www.tiktok.com/@ananddattanipodcast